When Center Grove began winning state championships on a regular basis, they had a great defensive front. The combination of current Chicago Bear Austin Booker (who has played extremely well this preseason) and Ohio State’s Caden Curry anchored a defensive line that led the Trojans to rare air. The Trojans had a few key players on offense – notably quarterback Tayven Jackson and current Kansas City Chief Carson Steele – that allowed them to put points on the board. But it was their outstanding defensive talent – combined with their ability to not beat themselves – that really put them over the edge of the top teams in the state. Defense indeed wins championships, especially in high school football.
A team that closely resembles those dominant Center Grove teams has a chance to break through in 2024. Warren Central, under legendary head coach Mike Kirschner, has a chance to lead the Warriors this season to those same heights. The Warriors haven’t won a state title since Jayson West’s tenure on the east side, but they have a very good opportunity to punch a ticket to Lucas Oil and win a state title for the first time since 2018.
Like Center Grove, they have a tremendous defensive front that will cause problems for opposing offenses. Defensive end J.J. Finch, considered by many to be the top Indiana prospect in the Class of 2026, anchors the interior. Defensive ends Tyrone Burrus and Damien Shanklin are both Power 4 recruits, with Burrus committed to Louisville and Shanklin committed to Louisiana State. Whoever wants to win a state championship in the state’s top classification will have to run through them.
Week One is a few days away and yet already coaches are losing sleep over facing the trio. As one opposing head coach told me recently, “You can’t double them all.”
Perhaps most revealing of the capabilities of Warren Central’s defense was holding Center Grove to just 14 points in their regional loss. Outside of the Trojans’ Week One loss to Ohio powerhouse St. Edward High School, no one else held them to fewer points.
The egg Warren Central put on the scoreboard of that regional game, though, will be the key issue going forward. Can they produce on offense to get over the hump? The arrival of quarterback Jaydin Rivers – who transferred from Bishop Noll – could answer that question. Rivers is a lefty who throws with good accuracy in the intermediate game and can make plays with his legs. Also, the addition of standout running back Kendall Garnett, a transfer from Westfield, perhaps the duo is the spark Warren Central needs to back up their vaunted defense.
Does that make Warren Central the favorite to win 6A? Hardly. Ben Davis returns most of their key pieces that won it all last November and never lost to an in-state opponent. Center Grove is always in contention as long as coach Eric Moore is still breathing. Carmel has a good team with some good linemen leading the way behind rising junior gunslinger Anthony Coellner. Crown Point, Cathedral, Hamilton Southeastern, Westfield, Lawrence North, and Lawrence Central will also be vying for a trip to Lucas Oil.
But Warren Central belongs right there in the mix and could be the team that goes from 5-7 in 2023 to shocking the state this fall. And, if their defense is injury-free and they can put a few points on the board, there’s not much holding them back from reaching the top.